00L: Undercover Fieldwork

As the Busch Visitor Center comes into view through the bus window, a wave of nostalgia came over me;  A year ago I took a Scarlet Ambassador Bus tour with my parents when I was deciding if Rutgers was right for me.  However, Today's mission is different.  My objective is to see how the Scarlet Ambassadors cater to perspective students.  I'll pay attention to what information is given to them and what type of inquires these potential-scarlet knights and their guardians have.  I'll be keeping an UOLL (Undercover Orientation Leader Log) as the tour goes on.  I just stepped off the B, and am making my way towards the Center.  Mission Commenced.

9:00am I'm greeted by a vivacious receptionist who signs me in.  She smiles and makes direct eye contact with me the entire time, which is an indicator that she is here for me, not the paycheck, and that was an awesome feeling (who doesn't like to feel special?)  Especially in a gi-wongo (college speak for 'huge') University like Rutgers, where students often feel like just a number, giving potential students that feeling of don't-worry-I'm-going-to-personally-take-care-of-you the first time they even step on this campus really sticks with them.  They walk away feeling like they already belong.

9:05am In the Visitor's Center, there is a touch screen map where you can look at all five campuses and their amenities, allowing visitors to get a taste of what they'll be seeing on the tour.  On the other side, a timeline has been set up, describing all the discoveries, research, and scientific breakthroughs that happened at Rutgers.  See how long it is?

That's pretty good Publicity, if you ask me.  It allows prospective students to envision all the opportunities they can pursue while being enrolled here.

9:20am I meet my Scarlet Ambassador, Carly, and am shuffled onto the tour bus.  I pick a prime location to continue my mission: the window seat.  As I'm waiting for the bus's engine to rev up, my eyes survey the bus, and I make note of a few things:

1) I'm the only one here by myself.  Therefore, I probably look weird.

2) Almost every prospective student is here with both parents.  

3) Many of the students look nervous, shy, and overwhelmed, and the tour hasn't even started yet.

9:30am The driver turns the key, Carly grabs her mic, and we're off!  We start off by passing the stadium, and our Scarlet Ambassador takes this opportunity to talk a little bit about athletics, intramural sports, and sports clubs.  We didn't have any athletes on the bus, but may of the students were interested in intramuras.  I was really glad Carly dished out this information  because for some reason (maybe its because of my inability to play any kind of sport) intramural sports never struck me as important. Rutgers LOVES its sports, and just because students don't play on the university's team doesn't mean they can't play at all.  Students can create their own teams, and play volleyball, flag football, badminton, and dodge ball all they want, and they compete with other student-created teams in a semester long tournament.  Volleyball not your game?  That's okay- there's over 50 intramural sports leagues throughout the year.

9:40am We rounded the corner onto College Ave, where our necks ranked from side to side for the next 10 minutes as Carly pointed out all the buildings cramped together on the avenue.  I'm an actual student here and even I was overwhelmed by the amount of information she was giving us in such a sort amount of time.  I thought to myself that during Summer Orientation when I'm giving my campus tours, I have to come up with a way to give my students all the information they need without causing them to have an anxiety attack.  Today, however, we were pressed for time, and she touched on some awesome points:

           The bus went onto Easten Ave, showing everyone where most of the "commuters" live.  50% of Rutgers students commute, but most of them actually live in off-campus apartments and houses behind College Ave, which is something I didn't know.  I thought that was important for students to know for two reasons:

          [UNO] Commuters who actually live at home have to be okay with the fact that they are a smaller group compared with the commuters who live just a couple blocks off campus, which might make them feel distant from the University.  If they're not okay with that, then Rutgers may be a no-go for them. 

          [DOS] The students know before hand that they can live in these close-by houses/apartments if they're not too keen on living on-campus, or if they want to save a little extra cash.

           We passed the Train Station, where Carly told us of our prime location for Internships.  We are sandwiched right between The Big Apple and Philie, enabling students to get TONS of Internship opportunities, which could easily land them a job.  The Johnson&Johnson headquarters are right across from the train station.  Out of all the employees the company recruits for jobs and internships,  Rutgers students make up the majority.  Pretty cool, right?  This was great for the students to here, because they're now aware of all the employment opportunities they have right on campus and after they graduate.

           As we were cruising by Robert Wood Johnson Hospital, our Scarlet Ambassador revealed to us that it will soon be turned in Rutgers Medical School. Having a high-tech, fully operating Hospital right on campus as your playground for becoming a Doctor once you finish undergrad?  A Pre-Med student's dream.

10:00am Carly had such a positive, upbeat aura to her.  She infused the information she gave out to us with personal stories, making the tour more personal and lively.  It serves as motivation for students to come to Rutgers, and have the same memorial and fun experiences she's having.

10:10am As we were coasting through Cook/Douglass, she talked about meal plans, study aboard programs, and getting involved.  College Kids gotta eat too, so going over what each meal plan encompasses is important to students, because they're the ones who are actually going to be eating the food, and the parents, because they have to be assured their child is going to be fed.  Many students want to study abroad, and that desire may be the breaking point on whether or not to attend a school.  Rutger's is unique in its study abroad program because it doesn't cost more than a semester's tuition [#Jackpot] AND you have a choice between 30 different countries AND you can go more than once.  For the students that get bored easily and like being involved, listening to Carly's speel on our clubs and activities was important to hear.  With over 400 clubs, including a Quidditch team, they will never be bored while attending Rutgers.

10:20am After apologizing for its appearance, Carly introduced Livingston.  She told us about the new dining hall, apartments, and the movie theater and grocery store that is going to be built underneath it.  This information was important because Livingston is the campus that first-years are most likely going to live on, and knowing what entertainment lies on your campus is good to know.

10:30am After a quick run through Busch, we returned back to the Visitor's Center.  While the rest of the group went back inside for the info session, I remained outside waiting for an A bus to take me to the BCC.  Mission Complete.

Reflection  Overall, I thought the tour did a great job highlighting what Rutgers has to offer. There was a good mix of Academic, Recreational, and Social information that was talked about.  Our Scarlet Ambassador was dynamic, interesting, and friendly, and made the hour go by quickly.  The tour was primarily to get an over view of the New Brunswick campus itself, hitting all five sub-campus and talking about what majors each campus is home to, its distinct characteristics, and what academic buildings are located there.  If a student already knows they'll be joining us in the fall, the tour allows them to see what campus they would like to live on.  Although we did get to tour a mock dorm room, the tour did not touch on what it was like to live in a residence hall.  There was also no mention of CAPS, Career Services, or the Learning Centers, which I think are essential resources that students should know about.
         No student asked a question; All questions were from the parents, and I even saw a student ask her father to pose a question for her.  This was good for me to see, because it made me realize that over the summer, my students are going to be just as nervous as these students, and I'm going to have to be the one to ask them questions so they'll open up a little.  Many of the inquiries that were asked weren't pertaining to academics; Parents seemed to be very concerned about residence hall cleanliness, co-ed halls, the bathroom and shower situation, mean plans, and things to do on the weekends.  These questions portray the worry parents have when their child lives on their own for the first time.
        During my First SA Tour before I enrolled at Rutgers, I remember leaving the info session unconvinced.  It  wasn't until the day I attended a Douglass Day where I made my decision to come here, and that was because I got to interact with real students on a personal level.  After this SA Tour, I'm leaving with another mission.  As an OL, I have a huge influence in a student's decision because I'm telling her my experiences of the university, not just its perks.  I could be the difference between a student enrolling here or not.  And I'm totally ready to take on that challenge of convincing them of how incredible Rutgers is.